Sunshine Sequellum: The Return
by Wordwryhta
Summary: MINI-SEQUEL TO "SUNSHINE" "The doors closed behind them, and the elevator began to climb. Bruised and broken, the Gorillaz had returned from Hell with their prize." Read to find out more! Non-explicit references to rape in this story.


**Yay! A new follow-up!**

**This one takes place about one to two weeks after "Sunshine" and about six months before "The Phoenix" just to give you a little perspective. Yea, I'm not going in order. Towwies.**

**Thanks to all those who read and reviewed "Sunshine Sequellum: The Phoenix," The Hazel-Eyed Angel, gimmie back that fillet o'fish, HideSeekKeep, and the mysterious Kris.**

**This is a shameless plug for Hazel's stories, "Empire Ants" and "The Dealbreaker" READ THEM NOW! Also, for a great read, check out bammie's story "Rebuilding Stuart Pot"**

**Please Read and Review! I have no idea how well I am doing if you don't tell me. So give me some love and let me know how you like (or dislike) my stories.**

* * *

The doors closed behind them, and the elevator began to climb. Bruised and broken, the Gorillaz had returned from Hell with their prize. 2-D held an unconscious Noodle in his arms. She had finally succumbed to the exhaustion that had hounded her for years, and now that she was safe in the presence of her friends and her lover she gave in. Her repose was not restful, however. Her three wardens would cast wary glances toward her when she would whimper into the chest of the young singer, knowing that some shade of a nightmare was threatening her in her sleep. 2-D would draw her closer and whisper in her ear words of comfort and solace, and she would relax back into his arms for a time.

Once the lift reached ground level, Murdoc pressed the button and wordlessly stepped off, not looking back at the other two men who were too exhausted themselves to follow or ask where he was going. Instead, they watched as the older Satanist disappeared behind the closing doors. The elevator began its ascent again, rising through the Feel Good, Inc. tower to the topmost level where their rooms were housed.

The doors opened, and the three remaining travelers disembarked. Russel smiled sadly at the young woman in 2-D's arms, gently stroking her cheek before turning to walk into the kitchen.. The blue-haired singer could hear the sound of pots and pans being manipulated as he carried his Li'l Love down the hallway to his room where he laid her down on his bed. Her face changed as soon as she felt the soft mattress and blankets under her battered and bruised skin. The tight, uncomfortable knot her face had been twisted into faded. She almost looked peaceful.

2-D frowned as he studied her, though. Three years of dirt, blood, grime, and things he shuddered to imagine caked her skin, her clothes were tattered and barely hanging on, and her skin was littered with scars and bruises. Suddenly, the urge to scrub her clean of the filth overwhelmed him, and, after gently nuzzling her cheek with his nose, he stood and walked into the bathroom.

He turned the shower on and adjusted it to a temperature that was comfortable before opening the cabinets to retrieve shampoo, soap, and a towel. Once he was satisfied that everything was ready, he grabbed his robe off the back of the door and reentered the bedroom. She lay still with one hand across her stomach and the other dangling off the side of the bed. Steeling up himself for what he would have to do, he crossed the room and sat next to her again. He cupped her cheek before reaching down to pull her shirt over her head. Blood had dried the fabric to her skin in places, and she whined slightly as he separated them as gingerly as he could. It was now painfully obvious how emaciated Noodle had become. Shaking his head, he frowned as he placed the robe over her chest. He moved down to begin divesting her of her shorts, but stopped as she began to struggle against him. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear.

"'Sokay, Li'l Love. I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise."

Slowly, she relaxed, and after another minute of stroking her hair, he returned to his task. He lifted her hips as he slid her shorts down past her knees and threw the ruined fabric to the floor. Then, her boots came next. Once she was completely naked, he wrapped the robe fully around her body, glad it was silk and not cotton or terrycloth as they would be too rough on her battered skin, and lifted her back into his arms. Once in the bathroom, he removed her robe and his shirt before stepping into the shower with her. He sat down on the ground with her back to him and began the difficult task of scrubbing off the filth that clung to her body, carefully cleaning the cuts and gouges covering her skin. He had been working for some time when he felt her body stiffen slightly.

"2-D?" her voice was barely audible.

"I'm 'ere, Luv," he whispered.

She rolled her head back onto his shoulder, "Where are we?"

He sighed, "We're back at the tower. Me an' Russ an' Muds, we're all 'ere. Go back to sleep."

She shook her head, "You'll be gone."

Confused, he looked down at her, "Wha'?"

"If I sleep, you'll be gone when I wake up. You always are."

"No, Li'l Love," he turned her so that he could look her in her eyes. Even with the water from the shower falling down her face, he could tell she was crying. He leaned his forehead against hers, the tears he thought he had been too exhausted to cry finding their path down his cheeks "I'm nevah gonna leave ya alone again. I promise."

She nodded her head.

Then, turning her so that her back was to him again, he began to scrub a particularly large gouge on her inner thigh. She jerked almost violently against him and began to push futilely against his hand, attempting to get him to stop.

"It hurts," she choked, and he could feel her body begin to shake as she sobbed earnestly.

He swallowed back the tears, "I know, Luv. I wish I coul' make it stop, but we 'ave to clean these wounds 'fore they get infected."

To calm her, he began to rock gently back and forth, singing softly into her ear.

_"Up on melancholy hill  
There's a plastic tree.  
Are you here with me  
Just looking out on the day  
Of another dream?_

_Well you can't get what you want,_  
_But you can get me,_  
_So let's set out to sea_  
_'Cause you are my medicine_  
_When you're close to me._  
_When you're close to me."_

Slowly, she began to relax against him, and he realized that she had fallen back into unconsciousness. After checking her to make sure that she was alright, he began to work again. It took two bars of soap and a bottle of shampoo to wash most of the dirt and blood away, and he was still not satisfied when he finally turned the shower head off an hour later. It would have to do for now, however.

Finally, he stood and lifted her. Pulling back the curtain, he was startled to see a parcel lying on the sink where there had been none before. After grabbing the robe again, he snatched the package as he passed and placed his love back on the bed. He opened the box and smiled to see that Murdoc had apparently gone shopping. Inside was a first aid kit, a toothbrush, some toothpaste, another bottle of shampoo (Noodle's favorite), a few tiny pairs of underwear, and some clothes. Setting the parcel and its contents aside, he grabbed the towel and dried Noodle off before tending to her wounds, dabbing on antiseptic before placing band-aids on the smaller cuts and wrapping bandages around the larger ones. He returned to the parcel and retrieved a miniscule white tank top and a pair of extra small pajama pants with which he clothed her, frowning at how they barely fit her frail body. Once she was done, he turned and changed into dry clothes, relishing in the sensation of the clean cloth on his skin. He then carried her to the tower's large common room where a couch had already been set up with blankets and pillows.

It was at this time that Russel emerged from the kitchen with a tray in his beefy hands. 2-D frowned to see that he had brought only broth for the attenuate girl. Seeing the singer's displeasure, Russel explained, "We can't give her too much at first. Her body will reject it. Look at her, she's borderline anorexic if she's not already. The broth will get her used to accepting food again."

2-D nodded and sat with Noodle's head in his lap while Russel tilted the bowl to her lips. At first, she spluttered and spit the liquid back into the bowl. Eventually, however, she began to drink, and too soon it became clear that she would have no more. Frowning at how little of the broth she accepted, Russel grabbed a glass of water with a straw. This, she lapped hungrily before allowing her eyes to flutter open, again surveying her surroundings before wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"I hate this place," she croaked.

Russel smiled and patted her cheek, "Me too, Baby Girl, but we gonna have to stay here 'til you get stronger." He looked her over and nodded his approval of 2-D's work, "Should have you feelin' better in no time."

In the doorway, Murdoc snorted to himself: One big happy family. Return from Hell and everything's fine. Noodle-love is back! "Whoop-ti-fookin-do," he thought to himself angrily. "Sunshine and fookin Skittles could rain from the sky." He took a swig from the bottle of tequila he was clutching in his hand before turning and stalking down the hallway to his bedroom.

The lights were off when he entered and paced over to the dresser. He looked at his reflection, the dirt and the blood from his recent expedition still clinging to his face, and frowned. "Fookin getting too old fer this shit," he grumbled, pulling at the rather large bags that had piled up under his eyes. Growling at his image, he turned and flopped down his expansive bed, covering his eyes with the crook of his elbow. Slowly, he fell off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

When he finally awoke, it was several hours later. No sounds were issuing from anywhere else in the tower, indicating that everyone else was asleep. He rose and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes and cursing under his breath. Something had awakened him, but he had no idea what.

Sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, however, and he looked to the black shadow in the corner of the room.

He growled and jumped up, "Haven't you done enough?'

The demon Dielens stepped from the blackness, his teeth glimmering in the moonlight. He laughed acidly, "Did you think this was done?" he asked as he strode over to the window to gaze over the city below him.

"I would be a fool if I did," Murdoc's voice rumbled as he scanned the room, searching for his rucksack. He was startled to see another figure looming in the shadows, but it was too dark to identify the small creature remaining concealed.

"You are a fool either way, Niccals," he responded, running a diamond-sharp claw down the window pane and drawing a shudder from the bassist.

Murdoc bared his teeth, "What do you want, Dielens?"

"My payment!" The demon shouted, rounding suddenly on him.

"I got nothing do give you," he sneered, "that is unless you take a check. But since my time's not up yet, I guess you'll just have to wait."

Suddenly, Dielens shot across the room, catching a startled Murdoc by the neck, "Oh, but you have plenty to give."

At a wave of his hand, the wall fell away, and Murdoc could see into the common room where his band mates lay sleeping. Noodle was lying on the sofa, looking almost peaceful in her repose. Her back was to 2-D, who was holding her tightly. Their legs were wound together under the thin sheet covering them. Russel had pulled a reclining chair next to the couch and lay snoring loudly with his head thrown back.

"What do you mean?" Murdoc growled.

Dielens cocked an eyebrow, "Isn't it obvious? No? Well, then, let me explain. I will excuse your debt for one of them."

"What?"

"You. Here," The black-skinned devil barked toward the silent figure hiding in the shadows. Slowly the small frame of the Android came into view. Murdoc's mouth hung open. He was speechless watching the robot cross the room to stand next to the demon. Her face was cold and emotionless as she stared past the bassist.

"Wha-"

Dielens smiled, but explained nothing. Instead, he tossed the stunned bassist toward the Android, "Bring him," he ordered.

Murdoc found his struggles futile as she grasped him in an iron grip and drug him after the demon.

The devil's grin widened as he strode carelessly to the sleeping group in the center of the room. "Ah, the conquering heroes," he chuckled, throwing his arms out with a flourish, "back from their epic quest to rescue the damsel in distress." At this, he slowly drug his finger down Noodle's cheek, scraping it across her chin and down her throat to pass through the valley of her breasts, and lower. Her face twisted and her eyebrows knitted together as she squirmed restlessly, apparent fear etched across her sleeping face.

"Don' you fookin touch her," Murdoc snarled, struggling against the Android.

Dielens sneered, "You mean don't touch her again?" he licked his lips as he leaned over the petite guitarist, sniffing the air and her scent on his fingertip.

The bassist stopped and his mouth hung open. _Again_? "You fookin BASTARD!" he screeched, pulling violently against the robot's grip. "She was never a part of this. You had no righ' to...to." Murdoc slackened as the realization of all that had happened to his little Noodle sank in fully. Suddenly, he jumped up and screamed, "Your deal was wit' me. Nobody else!"

Sickening laughter filled the room as Dielens slowly turned toward the Satanist, "You pathetic humans," he chuckled mirthlessly, "It still surprises me how autonomous you think you are." The devil's hands shot into the air, and the sleeping forms of his band mates were lifted above the bassist's head, spinning in a slow circle. Their eyes opened slowly, but Murdoc could see no recognition in their faces—no sense of awareness of their surroundings. He reached up to touch Noodle's hand which dangled close to him but was horrified when Dielens grabbed at his face, digging his nails into Murdoc's skin.

"Isolation. Separation. Desolation: They are our greatest tools. With them, we can bring down nations. We can bring down generations with the belief that an individual's actions have no greater repercussions. If everyone is living for themselves, then no one is living for each other. Divide and conquer, eh?" he chuckled again dropping the bassist to the ground. "Tell me, human. Do you believe that no one else can be burned by the flame just because you strike the match, or does that flame catch and spread until the whole world is an inferno? _You _made the deal, but did you honestly expect that no one else would be affected?"

With a wave of his hand, 2-D was brought down face to face with Murdoc, "So, nothing happened to him because you signed the paper?" Dielens laughed and placed his claws on Murdoc's shoulder, "Look him in the _eyes_ and tell him that," he hissed in the green-skinned man's ear.

Another wave of the hand, and 2-D rose back into the floating circle, "And what about him?" Russel's unconscious form lowered itself before them. "Can you tell me that he was unaffected by your deal? Or should we give a call to some mental hospitals in New York to find out? And her?" A third wave, and Noodle replaced Russel, "ripped into hell to be raped," Murdoc flinched, "and ravaged by demons for three years. Tell me, is she safe from our little agreement? Even your little creation," he motioned toward the Android, who stared blankly ahead "was broken and destroyed by it. You have already ruined their lives. You have already taken everything from them. They are shells of their former selves because of _you_ "

The demon pushed the black-haired musician to the ground. "Tell me that all humanity is not as arrogant as you. If it is, then maybe the Enemy was a bigger fool to offer redemption than I thought." Murdoc looked up toward the snickering demon and hissed, "Get to the point."

Suddenly, Dielens rounded, causing him to flinch, "The _point_ is that I am giving you another chance for my own little 'redemption.' Choose. Give me one of them, and I will set you free, or give me yourself. Ten years, Niccals. Ten years of your pathetic life will save one of them. Or are you a coward?"

"Fook you," Mursoc spat in the demon's face, "I ain' givin' you nothin'."

Dielens' face looked as though it would split in half from the sneer that spread across it, "Very well, then."

He raised his hand into the air and slowly, the rotating bodies above him came to a halt. His band mates blinked their eyes as they took in their surroundings.

"Muds?" Russel groaned sleepily, "what's goin' on?"

"Whot's happen-" 2-D began, but was cut short by his Li'l Love shrieking.

Her face was a mask of horror as she looked down at the demon below her. She shook her head violently as though she were trying to wake up from a nightmare. Her voice croaked hoarsely as she whimpered, "Not again, never again."

"Let them go!" Murdoc roared. "They got nothin' ta do wit' this."

"Oh, but they do, Niccals. They have everything to do with this."

The demon snapped his hand down, and Murdoc was horrified as 2-D's body slammed violently into the ground, drawing an agonized scream from the already badly injured singer and cries from the other two prisoners.

"2-D."

"D."

The blue-haired man struggled to raise himself off of the floor, but found that he was being held by some immovable force.

Dielens stood over the man who had all too recently sent him falling into the abyss and sneered, "Perhaps I will choose for you." At this, 2-D was flung into the air and sent crashing into a nearby wall, crying out in pain. Before he had time to settle, he was tossed back into the ceiling and allowed to fall back to the ground.

The demon smiled toward Murdoc, "What will it be?"

"Fook you," was the reply.

Another flick of the black hand and 2-D's already bleeding body seized as electricity coursed through him. His face twisted in the pain that his mouth could not express.

Murdoc looked helplessly toward the Android, "Help him!"

The demon grinned, "She's mine now, Niccals. You'll find nothing of your former friend in those eyes."

Murdoc looked into the Android's lifeless orbs and knew that he was right. Her gaze was cold and mechanical as she coolly watched the man she once cared for being tortured.

Suddenly, 2-D's body fell slack as the onslaught stopped, and the singer lay whimpering on the ground. His eyes opened and focused on the bassist before him. "Don't let 'im take Noodle, please," as he spoke, a thin stream of blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth.

Murdoc looked upward to the tiny guitarist sobbing above him. She shook her head when her eyes met his.

"You can' do this," Murdoc snarled, rounding on the demon.

Dielens rolled his eyes and groaned, "Oh, must we go through this any more?" Once again, he flicked his wrist, and the singer was tossed carelessly into the air and rammed back into the ground. Noodle shrieked.

The Satanist ground his teeth together as the demon walked around him, "Nothing? Not even a tear for your 'friend'? Very well, then," A wave of his hand, and 2-D was lifted back into the air, "If he is that insignificant to you-" Suddenly, the singer's body turned and faced the large glass window that surrounded the tower—the same window he had stepped out of to meet his Li'l Love on her floating island—2-D looked towards Murodc, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"NO!" shrieked Noodle as the blue-haired man was hurtled toward the window. His arms instinctively went to cover his face, knowing the fall that was eminent if he survived the glass.

"TAKE ME!" Murdoc fell to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground. He waited for the sound of his friend's body smashing through the window, but it never came. Slowly he raised his head and gasped to see 2-D hovering centimeters away from the glass, his breath fogging the window as he panted.

He turned toward Dielens who was watching him, a self-satisfied grin adorning his face.

The demon mockingly held a hand to his ear, "What was that? I'm not sure I heard you."

Murdoc growled, "You can take it from me. Jus' leave them alone," he lowered his voice so that the others couldn't hear, "please."

The bassist suddenly found himself lifted into the air by his hair and pulled toward the black-skinned devil.

"So be it," he hissed.

With that, the demon thrust his hand against Murdoc's chest. At first, he felt nothing. Then a growing tingling sensation traveled throughout his entire body. Soon, however, it became more intense, growing and growing until he felt as though his blood was boiling in his veins. Murdoc collapsed to the ground wrapping his arms around himself and screeching against the searing pain that now threatened to consume his entire being. He began to writhe as shouts filled the room around him, voices that seemed to strike his eardrums like needles. He looked up to see the concerned faces of his friends around him and the demon Dielens, with the Android at his side, disappearing behind the sliding doors of the elevator. Behind it all, an ever increasing darkness multiplied, consuming the tower, the elevator, the room, and finally the Gorillaz as Murdoc slipped into blackness.

* * *

He awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in his bed. Glancing at his watch, he realized that he had only been asleep for an hour. He scanned the dark room. Had it all been a dream? Had he imagined the whole encounter? Suddenly, he lept out of the bed and ripped his shirt off, searching his chest for some indication that what he had dreamed had, in fact happened. No mark where the demon had touched him remained. It wasn't real. Was it?

He stood for a while, questioning his sanity before turning and scanning the room. The rucksack lay a few feet away from him, and he threw it open, searching for something within its folds. Upon locating the object, he turned and strode toward the common room, grabbing the half-empty bottle of tequila off the dresser as he walked.

They still lay sleeping much as they had been before—2-D and Noodle on the couch and Russel filling the recliner next to them. Murdoc looked around the room, searching for evidence that his dream had been real, but even the holes that had been left in the wall from 2-D's body being slammed into it were gone. It appeared that it had been a dream.

A deep scowl dug into his face, and he scoffed. Slowly, he crossed the room, watching the shadows for any movement until he stood over the sleeping trio. He stood for a few minutes watching them as they slept before grabbing a pillow and tossing it to the floor. He sat down, facing the elevator, eying it cautiously as he took a long drink from the bottle, the heavy pistol in his hand dully reflecting the moonlight as he waited for the morning.

* * *

The sunshine was bright the next morning when she awoke. A moment of panic rose inside her chest at her unfamiliar surroundings, but the warmth of the man behind her and the softness of the sofa beneath her told the story of her freedom. She was home with her family—most of them. Wincing at the soreness that seemed to reach down to her bones, she rose slowly, swinging her feet off the plushy sofa. She was startled, however, when her feet struck something hard and cold on the floor, knocking it over. Looking down, a slow grin crossed her mouth upon seeing the now overturned tequila bottle lying next to a pillow on the ground.

"Li'l Love? You up?" groaned the sleepy singer behind her.

"Hai, 2-D-san" she said, bending down to pick the pillow off the ground, "accidentally" bumping the bottle underneath the couch as she did.

* * *

**One more down! Yays!**


End file.
